Apparatus for applying liquid treating medium to tenuous articles



Jan. 29, 1946.

H. R. GRAHA APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUID TREATING MEDIUM TO TENUOUS ARTICLES- Filed Nov. 14, 1941 joweizioiz' 6 066 6 fizzy/4M him/ Patented Jan. 29, 1946 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUID TREAT- ING MEDIUM TO TENUOUS ARTICLES Hugh R. Graham, Worcester, Mass., assignor to The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey Application November 14, 1941, Serial No. 419,182

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the application of a liquid treating medium to tenuous articles, and more particularly to fibers and fibrous materials such as the coverings on electrical conductors, although not limited thereto.

In the past, fibers and fibrous materials of the type used to cover electrical conductors have been treated by passing them around a drum or plurality of drums which are immersed in a bath of saturant or coating medium. Frequently the saturant or coating medium is in a heated condition. The number of turns around the drums of the article to be treated, the size of the drums, and the speed at which the article is drawn through the bath, determine the actual length of time necessary for the treatment.

The foregoing and similar prior art methods require relatively large tanks to hold the liquid treating medium and the drums around which the article is passed; and in the case of those treating media requiring hot applications, a considerable amount of fuel is necessary to heat the bath and maintain it in heated condition.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide an apparatus for applying a liquid treating medium to a tenuous article which attains the desired ends in a minimum of time.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of the class described which is compact and easy and inexpensive to manufacture, operate and maintain.

The invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and as particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative of several of the number of ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of an apparatus made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but disclosing a permissive modification.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral I designates a tank which is adapted to hold the liquid treating medium 2 (such as a saturant, coating material, etc.). This tank I is heated in any suitable manner, such as by a fuel burner 3.

Within the tank l there is disposed a suitably supported vessel or-treating chamber 4. According to one embodiment this vessel or treating chamber 4 it totally immersed in the liquid treating medium (see Figure 1). medium is forced into the vessel or treating chamber 4 adjacent one of its ends through a nozzle 5 upon which it rests. This nozzle 5 is connected to a supply pipe I which receives the liquid from a pump 8 having an inlet 9 through which the liquid is obtained.

Adjacent its other end, the vessel or treating chamber 4 is provided with an outlet pipe it having connected therein a relief valve i2 which is preferably adjustable. This outlet pipe H is provided with a return pipe 2P3 which extends below the surface of the liquid.

The article to be treated, designated herein after at X, is fed into the tank i over an inlet roller I5 and directed to a roller it which imparts horizontal movement to the article, whereby it may be introduced in a horizontal direction to a die H having a horizontally extending bore. As the article to be treated travels the length of the vessel or treating chamber t, it assumes a straight and horizontal path and emerges in a horizontal direction through a die it having a horizontally extending bore. From the die I 8 the article is directed under a pulley i9 which corresponds to the roller i6 mentioned hereinbefore, and is deflected upwardly out of the tank i and over an outlet roller 20.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the article to be treated is handled in a straight line. being bent only slightly at the points of application of the rollers i5-i6 and iii-2i]. This results in the elimination-oi substantial bends in the article, or numerous guide sheaves therefon' In addition, the article is both treated and diewiped under pressure, resulting in greater uniformity.

In the embodiment described hereinbefore,

wherein the vessel or treating-chamber t is imsel or treating chamber 40 having disposed peripherally thereof, and in spaced relationship thereto, a jacket 4|. Within this jacket 4| there is disposed a helical strip 43 which occupies the annular space between the chamber 40 and the The liquid treating jacket ll. A heating medium is introduced at one end of the chamber 40, as shown at N, and exhausted therefrom at the other end 48 thereof. The treating medium is supplied to the vessel or treating chamber 40 under pressure, in the manner of the embodiment of Figure 1. According to this embodiment the vessel or treating chamber 40 need not be immersed in the liquid treating medium within the tank I.

While I have shown and described several specific embodiments of the present invention, it will be seen that I do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope. of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: 7

1. Apparatus for applying a liquid treating medium to a tenuous article as it travels therethrough, comprising a vessel having inlet and outlet compression dies for the passage therethrough of said article, a supply tank at least partially surrounding said vessel, a pump located in said tank for supplying said vessel with liquid treating medium under pressure, means for maintaining the liquid in said vessel under pressure asthe strip passes therethrough, and means for returning the liquid treating medium from the vessel to the tank.

2. Apparatus for applying a liquid treating medium to a tenuous article, comprising a vessel having inlet and outlet openings for the passage therethrough of said article, a supply tank at least partially surrounding said vessel, means for elevating said vessel so that the openings therein will be above the level of the liquid treat-- 35 aseasra ing medium in the tank, and a pump located in said tank for supplying said vessel with liquid treating medium under pressure.

3. Apparatus for applying a liquid treating medium to a tenuous article as it travels therethrough, comprising a vessel having inlet and outlet openings for the passage therethrough of said article, a supply tank disposed beneath and partially surrounding said vessel, the openings in said vessel being disposed above the level of the liquid treating medium-in the tank, a pump located in said tank for supplying said vessel with liquid treating medium under pressure, means for maintaining the liquid in said vessel under pressure as the strip passes therethrough, and means for returning the liquid treating medium from the vessel to the tank while maintaining pressure in the vessel.

4. Apparatus for applying a liquid treating medium to a tenuous article as it travels therethrough, comprising a vessel having inlet and outlet openings for the passage therethrough of said article, a supply tank disposed beneath and exposed to said vessel, the openings in said vessel being disposed above the level of the liquid treating medium in the tank, a supply line leading from said tank to said vessel, a pump located in said supply line for supplying liquid treating medium under pressure to said vessel, an outlet for returning the medium from said vessel to said tank, and a relief valve in said outlet for maintaining the liquid in said vessel under pressure as the strip passes therethrough.

HUGH R. GRAHAM. 

